Your Fifteen Minutes Of Fame

“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.” (II Corinthians 3:2)

King David was one of the most famous men in history, and certainly in the “top ten” of all Bible characters. We are preparing for our annual missions trip to Belize, and the theme of this year’s Bible Conference is the life of David. As I have been working on the notes on the life of this great man of God, some things have intrigued me about him.

The life of David takes up a major section of the Old Testament. David is the main character of the Bible from I Samuel chapter 16 through the end of the book of II Samuel, and up to I Kings chapter 1, as well as I Chronicles chapters 11-29. That is a total of 60 chapters, and when you add all the other times in the Bible he is mentioned, David takes up close to 10% of the ink in the Bible. That is a lot of emphasis placed on one man out of billions over 6,000 years. Everyone is familiar with David, but for most, that familiarity extends to only a couple of stories. David’s life is well chronicled in the Bible, but beyond Goliath and Bathsheba, the rest of it could easily be the subject of a Jay Leno “Jaywalking” episode and make for some rather humorous responses.

Why is it that these are the only stories of David’s life that we all know? We know about his battle with Goliath because of the Sunday School lessons we heard many times as a child. It is such a famous story that it has become a slogan or catch phrase for every person on earth who faces a challenge too big to handle. We know that story because it is an encouragement to be persistent and faithful no matter what the circumstances. We admire the courage of a young man who could look defeat in the face and laugh at it as David did. David motivates us to take on the world and accomplish something genuinely remarkable, and many such things have been done by men – saved and lost – with that determination and courage.

Then we all know about his fling with Bathsheba. This story is famous because of sex, power, and corruption. This is the one Hellywood would make a movie about. (Yes, I know I spelled it wrong – I did so on purpose.) Sadly, it is these types of stories about Christians that makes the world pay attention to us. Anytime one of the servants of the Lord has a moral failure, it makes front page headlines. The media might be able to allude to some of the good accomplishments of such a man, but most of his 15 minutes of fame will be spent dragging his name and his family through the sewage of his sin. Granted, he deserves it. I understand temptation and the power of the flesh. But I have never understood how a man of God who holds in his hands the precious words of life called the Bible, and has in the power of his hands the issues of eternal destinies of the souls of human beings cannot keep those hands off of another woman besides his wife. Where is the fear of God, pastor? I tire of hearing about it, and this world will make absolutely 100% double-dog certain that every indiscretion will make national news. By the grace of God and by the power of his word and Spirit, I pray earnestly that we never hear of another.

When the prophet Nathan confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba, he said, “…by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.” (II Samuel 12:14) It takes years to establish a credible testimony, and a simple momentary lapse to destroy it. An incident like this negates everything the man of God has built. When a leader falls, his entire ministry is questioned. All the “60 chapters” of good he has accomplished gets shoved to the ash heap of history. Satan knows that. It is the reason he launches such vicious assaults against the men who minister the word to the flock of the Lord. We are all subject to such temptations, and the consequences for you are no different than for the nationally known pastors. Do not let your fifteen minutes be of this sort. Do not let Bathsheba negate your Goliath. God’s Spirit and God’s word are sufficient and powerful enough to preserve you if you access them daily.